Plan here is to try and find a couple cuts that perform well and get dialed in to their needs, before attempting to take it up to scale.
So, on to the Specs.
Grow Space: Will be working in just a 4x4 tent
Planting arrangement/ spacing: We will be working with 4 plants on even 24" centers. Seems like either 4 plants on even spacing, or 8 plants on alternating spacing is the sweet spot for a 4x4 area, just depends on the size of the plants.
Environmentals: Day Time Temps ~(75-78f) Night Time ~(70-72)
Day time leaf temps most likely exceed 80f under HID lighting though.
RH seems to be sitting around ~ 60-65%
This puts my Diff. at about 10f which is a bit much, but not too bad.
VPD about 8-12 or so. which is pretty good. VPD is a helpful measurement but I usually dont put as much as stock as alot of other growers seem to put into it.
Due to the mechanics of running HID in a tent, im somewhat constrained as far as setting environmentals, so thankfully they are already mostly in range. At this point its just finding cuts that do well in the given environment.
Lighting: Lighting will be supplied via CMH, using a generic 630w ballast retrofitted with brand new Phillips elite agro 930's.
ive always found cmh grown flower to be of a very high quality. So I am definitely excited to see how plants perform under these puppies. Hoping to see a real improvement to both plant growth and final yield.
So here is a lonely looking tent ready to be filled,
Planting media: Plants will be in 3 gal. container with pure coco. In the past ive usually ammended coco with small levels of an aeration type ammendment (usually vermiculite) but this run I'm just going to be using straight coco for simplicity's sake.
Irrigation: Water will be supplied via daily hand waterings (pretty low tech, I know). I'm just trying to get everything figured out before changing up too much shit. Gotta figure out how to walk before you try to run, am i right. Moving to drip is definitely on the agenda though.
Water is just city water with a moderately low ec (.4) but a pretty high alkalinity, high 7's. water will also have a murky white tint to it, which i believe is bicarbonate's and calcium precipitates. i think its coming from the piping, because it is not an issue in other areas. "both" water's have the same ec and pH though.
anyways, mixing in 'just a lil bit' of pH down or grow clean makes it go away.
Fertilization: For the most part, fertilizer is supplied via dry fert. salts, with some minor additions of "natural or organic" inputs.
Target pH range is ~5.8-6.0
Target Ec range is ~.8-1 for veg, ~1-1.2 for flower.
considering water is at a base level of .4, even at a 1.2 ec, its only adding about .8 ec or 400ppm's, which is quite low.
Formula will be loosely following reccomendations laid out by BillFarthing in his 'Cheap Nutrient Line" thread. definitely worth a read.
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=377492
Ca boost weeks 1-3 PK boost weeks 4-6.
Full nutrient list is
Jacks hydro base (5-12-26),
Yara Liva Calnit,
Epsom,
solution grade gypsum,
plant prod. chelated micro mix,
agsil 16-H,
and then MAP, MKP, and K2SO4.
plus Haifa grow clean 5-31-40 (drip clean alternative)
GH pH down for pH ammendation
"organics" are;
ewc,
kelp,
fish protein hydrolysate,
fulvic acid (mr. f),
molasses,
OGBW for bennies.
Co2 supplemenation: None for now. might get one of those CO2 bags, not so much to be running at elevated levels, but to keep ambient levels from getting depleted.
Airflow: Just two small 6" stationary fans facing opposite each other, on alternate sides of the tent. Trying to get some vortex type air motion.
Plus a 6" fan for exhaust, and to get negative air pressure.
Training/ support: Supplied by standard horizontal trellising. Not sure if i will need to use 2 or 3 nets, there is a bit of variation in plant height already...
IPM: As far as IPM i try to be as non-toxic as possible. This round will be using
-Ambylseius Andersoni (generalist mite control)
-hypoasis miles (generalist soil mite)
-sf nematodes
plus the OG Bio War and Si.
Strains: Gonna be running
-two different Tonygreen Glue RIL's, one heavy glue leaner, one displaying some sour bubble type traits.
-two different PNW Roots: Koko (glue x koffee f2) one glue type plant on a much tighter, somewhat bushier body, and one that leans to the koffee (alien).
jeez that took a minute, hope i didnt forget anything.
Let me take another bong rip real quick.
